Simplicity
by freudianprincess
Summary: After waking up from being frozen for 70 years, Captain Steve Rogers finds himself needing to get away from modern day Manhattan. He takes a job as a ranch hand in Wyoming where he meets Kit Bell, a fiery brunette that shows him how he can still lead a simple life living in a modern world. Pre-Avengers through post-avengers.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: so... this is my first Avengers story... originally I had started to write this using Harry potter characters, but I lost interest. The other day, I decided to revisit it but replace it with Avengers characters. Needless to say, I found way more inspiration that way. Anyway, the timeline is a little off between when Steve wake up and the then the whole thing in New York. Technically there was only a week's gap but I changed it to make it work for my story. So... without further ado... please enjoy and PLEASE review so I know whether or not I should continue :)**

**KIT POV**

"Come on, Aengus. Today is the day." I whispered into the ear of my horse as I led him out into the round pin. Today, I was finally going to take my chances and ride him bareback.

I closed the gate to the round pin behind me before stepping into the center of the arena with him. I ran my hands over his smooth black coat, whispering soothing words to let him know that he could trust me. With gentle movements, I climbed onto his back. When I was situated comfortably, I leaned forward and patted his neck as a cooed appraisal to him.

With soft squeezes of heels, I made Aengus walk around the edges of the round pin. I couldn't help but smile as he calmly did as I asked. Just six months ago, this very same horse was rescued from an overturned truck that was on its way to slaughter. My dad and I rescued this scared and angry horse and, now, here I was sitting on his back without a saddle.

I heard a low rumble off in the distance as I saw Aengus's ears twitch toward the sound. He began to tense underneath me and his movements became antsy. "Easy boy." I tried to soothe him, but as the noise grew closer, it was no use.

Just as a bike roared up in front of the round pin, Aengus reared and I was sent flying to the ground. I landed on my back in the soft dirt with a grunt and I felt all of my air rush out of me. The bike turned off and I heard footsteps run toward me as I laid there on the ground.

"Miss? Are you alright?" a deep male voice asked me as a pair of blue eyes came into my view. He moved to help me up, but I pushed him away before sitting up.

"I'm fine." I huffed as I stood up fully and brushed the dirt off of my jeans. I glanced over to see Aengus on the other side of the pin, he had calmed down from his spook but was still eyeing the stranger behind me. With slow strides, I walk over to Aengus and grabbed the reins before whispering apologies in his ears.

"Miss, I'm sorry to bother you, but I am supposed to meet a Richard Bell here." The stranger called behind me and I turned to glare at him.

"Look, in case you can't tell, I'm kind of busy here." I snapped at him. I saw him flinch and instantly felt guilty for my attitude, but I was pissed. Trying to climb back onto Aengus was useless as he kept moving away from me. There was no way that I was going to be able to get back on him today, he was too worked up.

With a sigh, I led him back into the barn and placed him in his stall before removing the bridle from his head. I returned the bridle to the tack room and checked to make sure his feed and water bucket were full before I walked back out of the barn. The man was standing next to his bike and I let out a sigh before approaching him.

"Richard Bell is my dad. He went into town but he should be back within the hour." I explained to him as I neared him.

"Thank you. My name is Steven Rogers… Steve for short." He said as he stuck out his hand in greeting. I looked at his hand, but did not take it; I was still bitter that he had ruined my day.

"I'm Kathryn. My friends call me Kit." I said as I turned to the front porch of my house. I could hear Steve drop his hand to his side before following me.

"It's nice to meet you, Kit."

"I said my _friends_ call me Kit." I bit at him. I knew I was being rude and this man did not deserve my attitude, but I couldn't get myself to stop.

"Sorry, Miss." Steve apologized to me as I sat on the porch steps. He stood there in front of me for a moment before taking a seat on the other side of the steps. He clasped his hands into front of his and began to twiddle his thumbs.

We sat in awkward silence for a moment before I finally spoke up. "Why are you looking for my dad?" I asked.

"I was sent out here to help him. He is good friends with someone I know and, when they heard he needed help, they called him and arranged for me to come out here." Steve explained as he stared at his hands.

"I see…" I said as I saw a cloud of dust edge its way up the drive. Dad was finally home and would finally take this visitor off my hands.

My dad's old red pickup truck pulled into the yard. The truck was appropriately named the sardine can because, whenever more than two of us tried to ride in the truck, we were packed in like the stupid little canned fish. I saw my dad step out of the truck and approach Steve as he stood up.

"You must be Steven." My dad greeted as he held out his hand.

"Yes, sir." Steve responded as he took my dad's hand in a firm grip.

"Nick has told me great things about you." My dad said with a wink as he let go of Steve's hand. I wondered what that was all about but chose to ignore it. "Kitten, why didn't you invite this young man inside?" my dad turned to me. I flinched at his use of the childhood nickname he gave me.

"Oh… I…" I stuttered, unsure of how I should answer. I didn't want to explain to my father that I was, in fact, quite rude to our guest.

"I insisted on waiting out here, sir. I enjoy the peace and quiet compared to Manhattan." Steve spoke up. My head snapped over to look at him. Why was he defending me when I was not hospitable to him in any way? Now I really felt guilty for my earlier attitude.

"Alright, then. Well, would you like to see the rest of the ranch before dinner?" dad asked Steve. Steve nodded before following my father off and toward the barn.

I stayed sitting on the porch steps and dropped my head into my hands. Sometimes I wanted to kick myself for having such a short temper. From behind me, the front door opened and shut as I heard footsteps approach me and then felt someone sit next to me.

"Who were you and dad talking to?" my little sister asked.

"His name is Steve Rogers. He's been hired by dad to help out around here." I replied as I looked up and saw the men leave the barn and heard toward the tool shed.

"He's cute."

I rolled my eyes at my sister's comment. "You're thirteen, Lizzy. You think every guy is cute."

"That's not true!" she responded defensively as she tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder before crossing her arms in front of herself in a pout.

We sat there in silence for a moment but, like always when Lizzy was around, it was short lived.

"Do you like him?"

"Seriously, Lizzy?" I asked her incredulously.

"It was just a question…" she said trying to make me feel guilty for her, but I knew how her games worked.

"A stupid question. If you're so curious about him, why don't you go follow them around?" I asked, tying to get rid of her.

Lizzy didn't respond to me and just stomped back into the house. Clearly, I had hit a nerve with her. I rested my head back in my hands and closed my eyes. Visions of Steve kept floating around in my mind… his blue eyes… his blonde hair that was perfectly styled like James Dean… his incredibly muscular…

"Kathryn!" I heard my mom shout from inside the house.

"Yeah, mom?" I called back, lifting my head up from my hands.

"Come help me set up for dinner!"

"Coming!" I responded as I stood up from my place on the porch and walked into the house.

**STEVE POV**

"Well, son, what do you think?" Richard asked me as he finished my tour of the ranch. I felt uncomfortable with the way he kept addressing me as someone younger than him, even though he was the only one in this household who knew how old I really was.

I looked up at the porch just as Kit was walking into the house. "She's beautiful." I responded without thinking.

I heard Richard chuckling, obviously catching my mistake. "I suppose we should get inside and wash up for dinner. Plus, there is the rest of the family to meet." He said as he began walking to the house. I followed him thinking about how I ended up here.

Six months ago, I had awoken in a secret government facility run by S.H.I.E.L.D. and had found out that I had been frozen in ice for almost seventy years. When I woke up, I found myself in a room that was a falsification of my era and, when a nurse came to greet me, I panicked and rushed past her, running out into the busy modern day Manhattan traffic. It was then that I met Nick Fury. Overwhelmed didn't even begin to cover my emotions as I listened to Fury explain everything that had happened.

Just a week ago, I had been given clearance to spend time getting to know my new era. Nick had mentioned how he had spoken to an old friend out in Riverton, Wyoming who was looking for a pair of strong arms to help him out on his ranch. So here I was, 2005 miles later.

As I wound my way up the gravels roads to get here, I could feel all the stresses of this new world leaving me. Something about being out in the middle of nowhere was comforting me and it was refreshing. However, I knew I had left a bad first impression on Mr. Bell's daughter when I first arrived.

When Richard and I had entered the house, I was greeted by the smell of a freshly baked apple pie. He led me into the kitchen where a woman was just setting platters of food onto the table. The woman had blonde hair that was piled on top of her head to keep from falling into the food.

"Caroline, this is Steve. He the young man that is going to be helping us out around here. Steve, this is my wife, Caroline." He introduced us as we shook hands.

"Pleasure to meet you, ma'am." I greeted with a smile and a nod.

"Welcome to our home, Steve." She returned the smile before going back to the counter to grab a heaping bowl of mashed potatoes.

A young girl with blonde hair to match her mother's came running into the kitchen and past Richard and I, but he caught her by the shoulder and turned her to face us. "This," he began, "is our thirteen year old daughter, Elizabeth. Lizzy, this is Steve."

"Hello, Lizzy." I smiled at her. She responded with a quiet hello before running off again.

An older boy with brunette hair styled like Richard's came into the kitchen and sat at the table.

"Steve, this is Hunter, our sixteen year old boy." Richard said as he walked over to Hunter and squeezed his shoulder.

"Hi." Hunter greeted and I responded with a curt nod.

Kit walked into the kitchen, no longer wearing the dirty clothes she was wearing earlier, and carrying a small blonde boy. Her brunette hair cascaded over her shoulders in light waves and her brown eyes met mine before quickly looking away.

"You've already met Kathryn." Richard stated and I nodded as he approached his daughter and grabbed the youngest child from her arms. "Lastly, this is Liam."

"Hello, Liam. How are you?" I asked the young boy.

"I'm five!" he said as he held up three fingers. Everyone in the kitchen laughed at the little one as Richard set him down in his chair.

"Why don't you men wash up so we can eat?" Mrs. Bell suggested.

Once we had washed our hands, we all sat down at the table. Richard said a quick grace before we dug into the meal of roast beef and mashed potatoes. As we ate, I couldn't help but to think how right it felt to be sitting here at this table and sharing a meal with the Bells. I didn't know what the future held for me here, but I knew that right now, this is what I really needed.


	2. Chapter 2

**KIT POV**

* * *

"Ok, I need a cup of coffee, and I need it strong." I said as I walked into the local diner the next morning. My best friend Amanda, who was working behind the counter, laughed as she set and empty mug in front of me.

"Big day?" she asked while she turned around to grab a fresh pot of coffee before proceeding to pour me a cup.

"Today starts the first day of hell." I exaggerated as I added sugar to my coffee before taking a sip.

"This wouldn't have to do with the new tall, blonde, and handsome that now works at your ranch, would it?" Amanda asked as she leaned over the counter toward me.

"I, literally, embarrassed the hell out of myself when he showed up at the ranch yesterday. He came speeding up the driveway on his bike yesterday when I was finally riding Aengus…"

"Oh, that's right! You said that you were going to do that yesterday. How did that go?" she cut me off.

"I fell… because Aengus spooked." I finished as I drank down the rest of my cup.

"Uh oh. Please don't tell me that you got all… stubborn and moody afterward." She said, pouring me another.

"Yes, and I feel so terrible about it. He probably thinks I am a complete bitch now." I responded with a groan and leaned my forehead on my hand.

Amanda patted my shoulder in comfort as she looked up when the door chimed behind me. Instantly she straightened up before saying, "Well, I guess we will find out now."

"Wha…" I began to ask as I turned around but I stopped when I saw who had just walked in the door.

Steve was looking around the diner and when his eyes finally met mine, he made a beeline for me. When he got to where I was sitting, he gave a small nod in Amanda's direction before speaking to me.

"Good morning, Kathryn. Your father got held up in his meetings this morning so sent me out here to pick you up and take you back to the ranch." He explained, in a rushed manner. I could tell he wasn't sure how I would react to him and I cursed myself, once again, for letting my temper get in the way yesterday.

"Yeah, sure. I'm just going to finish up this cup of coffee and then I will be ready." I said as I gestured to the seat next to me. Steve took a seat next to me and Amanda turned her attention to him. I knew my father was meeting with the bankers this morning and the fact that things were taking so long was starting to make me worry. Maybe our financial problems were worse than my dad was letting on.

"Can I get you something to drink?" she asked.

"No thank you, Miss…?"

"Amanda. Berkshire. Kit's best friend and confidant." she introduced herself holding out a hand for him to shake.

"Steven Rogers." He said as he returned the handshake

"So, Steve, since you just got into town, you probably don't know about the party tonight." Amanda said cheerfully.

I finished off my second cup of coffee quickly before setting my payment down on the counter. "Shall we?" I asked Steve as I stood up, preventing Amanda from saying anything else. "Thanks, Amanda." I added pointedly.

"Sure, Kit. I'll see you tonight. Nice to meet you, Steve."

"Nice to meet you, ma'am." He nodded before following me out.

When we stepped outside of the diner, I looked around for the sardine can that I had thought Steve would have driven into town. Steve stepped over to his bike and I froze in my steps. It wasn't until he was holding a helmet out to me that he noticed my hesitation.

"Is something wrong?" he asked with honest concern.

"I just didn't expect…"

"The bike." Steve finished and I nodded. "I'm sorry. I didn't even think…" he began to mutter but I stopped him by grabbing the helmet and placing it on my head.

"It's okay." I said with a small smile as I fastened it to my head. "So… now what?" I asked.

"Uh… well…" Steve stuttered as he pulled on his own helmet before climbing on the bike. "Just… climb on behind me."

I climbed on behind him and hesitated putting my arms around him as he started the bike.

"You're… you might want to hang on…" he said over the hum on the motor.

I loosely wrapped my arms around his chest but as soon as he began to move the bike, my grip tightened instantly. As I felt the rush of the bike beginning to speed up, I closed my eyes in fear. I could feel Steve's muscles beneath his shirt and I had a hard time swallowing the lump that was forming in my throat. Steve was well built… at least it felt like it. The steady pulse in his chest helped me relax and I slowly opened my eyes. Fields were rushing by us as we sped along the road that took us home and before I knew it, we were pulling into the front yard.

Steve turned off the bike and I climbed off from behind him and took off the helmet as he removed his own. "Thanks." I said as I passed it back to him, a small smile on my face.

"You're welcome." He said returning my smile. "Kathryn, I really am sorry about yesterday." He apologized.

"Actually, I should be the one apologizing. I'm not always the best at controlling my temper. It was unfair of me to snap at you." I responded as I crossed my arms in front of me, grabbing my elbows and kicking at the gravel beneath my feet.

"No apologies necessary, ma'am." Steve said reassuringly.

"Right… well… I have chores I need to get to." I stumbled out awkwardly as I gestured to the barn behind me. "Thanks for bringing me back." I added as I turned around and walked off.

I had only made it a few steps when I thought about what Amanda had said earlier. "Hey, Steve?" I called over my shoulder as I turned my head to look at him.

"Yes?"

"There's a party tonight out at the old bar in town. You should come… I mean, if you want to."

* * *

_**LATER THAT NIGHT**_

* * *

"Staring at the door isn't going to make him magically show up." Amanda spoke loudly as she placed a fresh pitcher of beer on the table before climbing onto the bar stool across from me.

"I know. I just feel bad that I left him with so many chores to do." I practically had to yell across the table at her as the music in the bar was blaring.

"You seriously need to just chill out and have a good time, Kit. He will show up eventually." She replied, flipping her blonde locks over her shoulder before pouring me a beer.

I took a small drink from my cup as I gazed around the bar. Amanda and I had snagged a table near the back where we could avoid the main throng of the crowd. Many of the other party goers were beyond drunk and I was glad that Amanda and I were not further into the crowd. There would definitely be plenty of gossip to circulate around town until the next party. Despite my eyes roaming the party, I hadn't noticed Steve walk into the bar until Amanda snapped her fingers in my face.

"Earth to Kit. Come in Kit, are you there?" she was saying as my attending was drawn back to her.

"Hmmm?"

"Your wonder boy has finally arrived." She said as she gestured her head to the door.

Sure enough, Steve had walked in, wearing a dark blue t-shirt and a pair of old jeans. Our eyes met and I smiled before holding up my beer in greeting. Steve began to make his way to our table but his path was blocked by none other than the Mayor's daughter, Alyssa Hanley.

"You know, I wonder if there will ever be a day when Alyssa doesn't try to sink her raptor claws into a new guy." Amanda muttered as she took another sip of her beer, watching as Alyssa ran one of her well- manicured hands down Steve's chest.

"Well as the daughter of the Mayor, it is her responsibility to welcome everyone to town." I responded, mocking Alyssa's high, nasally voice.

Amanda snorted into her beer, "You imitate her so disgustingly well that sometimes I am terrified of you."

I laughed as my eyes flicked back to where Steve was still deep in conversation with Alyssa. With a sigh, I ran my right hand through my hair, my fingers getting caught in a few of the tangles. Leave it to Alyssa to ruin someone's night.

"You know, all it would take is one guy to reject her to bring her down a peg. I guess no guy is immune to her _charm._" I said with a hint of disappointment in my voice.

"Oh. My. God. You like him!" Amanda exclaimed when she noticed how my mood had changed.

"You're drunk." I responded in defense. Steve had only been here a little more than twenty-four hours, there was no way I had any interest in him.

_Or do I?_ I wondered as my eyes wandered back to him. I couldn't deny that he was good looking and he seemed like a decent guy, but I hadn't had very much interaction with him to say whether or not I liked him.

"Oh please, I have hardly had anything to drink." Amanda responded but dropped the subject instantly.

A guy approached our table as a new song began to blare in the bar. "Could I interest you in a dance?" he asked me, his blue eyes roaming up and down my body before meeting mine. He made me uncomfortable.

"I don't…" I began but Amanda cut me off.

"Yes! She would love to!" she exclaimed as she pulled my arm from across the table, making me stand up. I glared at her for putting me in this position.

With a sigh, I downed my beer before placing my cup on the table and allowing the guy to pull me out to the dance floor. I didn't recognize the guy as anyone from town as I held him at an arms distance while we danced.

"My name is John." He said as he pulled me closer to him his hands slowly beginning to inch their way down my back.

"Kathryn." I said, not meting his gaze.

The song ended and another song began, the heavy bass thrumming a suggestive rhythm. I don't know how, but John managed to pull me even closer to him, his hands grabbing my ass. Disgusted, I tried to pull his hands away from me but he held on tightly.

"Please, let go." I said, still struggling to move his hands. Instead, he brought his mouth down to my neck and began kissing me.

"Come on. You know you want it." He said as he tried to kiss me but I turned my face away from him.

"No, I don't. Now let me go." I said with more force but he still would not budge.

"I don't think I will." He said with a sinister smirk as he grabbed my chin and turned my face so that I couldn't move it.

Slowly, he leaned in and placed a kiss on my lips that I held tightly together. I struggled against his arms but his grip was not relenting. My heart began to beat faster, I was both angry and scared that no one was paying any attention to the situation. I just wished that someone would notice what was going on and help me. Where the hell was Amanda?

My wish was granted as I felt John's hold on me broken. I found myself being protectively blocked by a muscular arm. Glancing up to my side, I saw Steve, a calm look on his face as he addressed John.

"I believe she said no." he spoke evenly. "You should just leave."

"Who are you to tell me what I should do?" John spat at Steve.

"That does not matter. When a lady says no, you respect that."

"She liked it." John said with a smirk as his eyes met with mine as if challenging me to say otherwise.

"Amanda, will you take Kit to gather her things?" Steve addressed Amanda as she had appeared at my side out of nowhere.

I felt her arm around my waist as she guided me back to our table as if I were a child. Glancing over my shoulder, I could see that John had moved until he was chest to chest with Steve. However, no matter how close he got, he couldn't measure up to Steve. Not only was Steve taller than him, but he was obviously more muscular. The music had stopped and the entire population of the bar was silent as they watched the scene unfolding in front of them. Tonight would not end well.

Steve must have said something that John didn't like because the next thing I knew, John's fist was flying at Steve. I used my hands to cover my eyes and waited for the sound of the punch landing but it never did. Peeking through my fingers, I saw that Steve had caught John's punch and now had his arm pinned behind his back. He guided him to our table and as they neared, I took a step back, not wanting to be any closer to John.

"Apologize to her." Steve instructed.

"I'm _sorry_." John said bitterly.

"Say it like you mean it." Steve said forcefully.

"I am sorry for not respecting your personal space." he said through clenched teeth.

With a nod, Steve released John's arm as he pushed him back into the crowd. "Are you ready to go?" he asked, turning his attention to me.

"Yes." I said softly. I gave Amanda a small smile before I followed Steve out of the bar, whispers following us the entire way.

The music had started up again as we exited the bar and I followed Steve over to his bike in silence. Not another word was spoken as we took off into the night and back to the ranch.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **I know the timeline is all screwy with this story but lets just learn to live with the fact that nothing is going to be on the true Avengers timeline, nor is it going to follow the story exactly. Anyway... enjoy the next chapter! Reviews are wonderful and I always respond to PMs.

**STEVE'S POV**

I was furious.

_No._

Furious didn't even begin to describe how I felt. I was one hundred percent pissed off. When S.H.I.E.L.D had released me from the ice after all these years, I would have never guessed that I was about to become part of an era where men disrespected women so openly.

Then, there were the girls that just threw themselves at men. When I had showed up at the bar this evening, a young lady named Alyssa forced her way into the center of my attention. If I were anything but a gentleman, I would have pushed her out of my way.

"I've never seen you around here before. You must be the new guy up at Bell Ranch." She said in what she probably thought was a sultry tone as she approached me. I had been on my way to the table I had seen Kit sitting at when Alyssa had put herself in my way.

"Yes, ma'am. My name is Steve." I responded in introduction.

"I'm Alyssa Hanley, and as the daughter of the Mayor, it is both an honor and a pleasure to welcome you to Riverton." She introduced herself.

"Thanks." I said dismissively as I glanced over to the table where Kit was sitting. Alyssa followed my gaze and let out a laugh that sounded awfully arrogant.

"You know, just because you are stuck at the Bell residence, doesn't mean you have to associate with them in a social setting. They're an… odd… family." She began before turning back to me. "Now, if you were to spend time with me…" she trailed off as she ran a hand down my chest. I felt violated and just wished that she would leave me alone.

"I don't mind the Bell family. They are all really nice."

Alyssa let out a scoff at my words. I was growing tired of her attitude. The music changed to a very distasteful song and I looked up to see that Kit was no longer at her table.

My eyes roamed the drunken crowd until I finally saw her. She was in the arms of a man and was struggling to get away from them but the man wouldn't let her go. _Where the hell was her friend, Amanda? _Without another word, I stepped around Alyssa.

"Hey! Where are you going?" she called after me but I ignored her. My mind was completely focused on Kit.

I pushed my way through the crowd of undulating bodies before reaching my target. The stranger had his lips pressed forcefully against Kit's and, even though she was struggling to break free from him, he would not let up. Trying to keep from using my full strength, I pulled the man away from Kit by his collar and placed a protective arm across Kit as I stepped slightly in front of her.

"I believe she said no." I said, trying to keep my tone even. "You should just leave."

"Who are you to tell me what I should do?" the man spat back at me.

"That does not matter. When a lady says no, you respect that."

"She liked it." The man said with a nasty smirk as he gave me a look that was obviously meant as a challenge to me.

It was then that I noticed that Amanda had finally decided to show up. "Amanda, will you take Kit to gather her things?" I asked her. She nodded and led Kit away from the scene.

The stranger's nostrils flared as he stepped up until he was chest to chest with me, even though it was more face to chest. The bar had become incredibly silent, no music was playing, and everyone was watching me and this stranger.

"Just give it up. You're not even worthy of a gal like her." I said quietly.

That set him off and he tried to throw a punch at me. However, he was no match for me as I caught his fist and flipped him around so that I had his arm pinned behind his back. I pushed him toward the table where Kit and Amanda were waiting.

"Apologize to her." I told him.

"I'm _sorry._" He said though I knew he wasn't being truthful.

"Say it like you mean it." I demanded, increasing the tension on his pinned arm.

"I'm sorry for not respecting your personal space." He corrected himself through clenched teeth.

I nodded in acceptance of his apology before releasing him and punching him back into the crowd.

"Are you ready to go?" I asked Kit as I turned back to her. I could no longer stand to be in that atmosphere.

Kit responded with a soft "Yes" before proceeding to follow me out of the bar and over to my bike.

In silence we rode off back to the farm.

When Kit and I had arrived back at the ranch, I instantly took off toward the barn to allow myself time alone to cool off. Finally alone, I relaxed my stony exterior and allowed the anger to flood my body. My fists dug themselves into the nearest stack of hay bales as I punched out my frustrations.

"Steve?" I heard Kit's voice softly call behind me.

I took a deep breath before turning around to face her. Her face was furrowed in concern and she played with the ends of her hair as it tumbled over her shoulders.

"Are you alright?" she asked me as she stopped twirling her hair in her fingers and took a hesitant step toward me, taking in her surroundings as she neared me.

It was then that I noticed that hay had nearly exploded from the bales I had been punching. There were piles of it scattered all over the floor and I instantly regretted releasing my anger in such a way.

"Yes. I'm sorry, Katheryn." I began to apologize as I stepped around her to grab a broom that sat just inside of the tack room.

"Steve, you _can_ call me Kit." She said from behind me before I remerged from the tack room.

"Right. I'm sorry, Kit. I just… I couldn't let that man violate you like he was doing. It was inappropriate and not the proper way to treat women." I explained to her as I swept all of the clean hay into a pile.

"Thank you." Kit responded sincerely. After that, she fell quiet and, for a moment, I believed that she had left me alone.

I was wrong.

While my back was turn, I felt something hit me in the back of my head and then tumble down my back. When I turned around, Kit was standing with her eyes wide in surprise, another handful of hay in her hand.

"What was that for?" I asked. I wasn't angry, but I was confused as to what had compelled her to throw the hay at me in the first place.

"I…I don't… know." She stumbled out as she dropped her handful of hay. It was obvious she was embarrassed of her behavior when she turned around and made to leave the barn.

"Wait, Kit…" I called after her as I scooped up my own handful of hay.

"I'm sorry, Steve. I wasn't…" she began to apologize as she turned around only to meet the face full of hay that I tossed at her.

This time I stood there, to move a muscle as Kit stood there calculating the situation. It only took her a few moments and suddenly we were in an all- out war tossing handfuls of hay at each other. The floor of the barn was littered with our mess, but neither of us cared. All that mattered was that the events of the night were behind us and, for once, I felt like I belonged.

In our playfulness, Kit managed to slip on a small pile of hay and she reached out for the first thing to keep her from falling. Unfortunately, that was my unsuspecting person and she ended up only pulling me down on top of her as she fell. For a moment, neither of us moved as we lay there, Kit's tinkling laughter shaking the two of us. I stared down at Kit underneath me and I was lost in her brown eyes.

"Uhm… Steve?" she said hesitantly and I snapped out of my daze.

"Yes?"

"You're… uh… crushing me…" she said with an apologetic look as if she had insulted me.

"Oh… I… uh…" I couldn't speak as I pushed myself up and off of Kit before holding a hand out to help her up.

Kit brushed off her clothes and ran hand through her hair to shake any stray pieces of hay out of it. There was one piece that would not shake free so I reached forward and plucked it from her hair, my hand grazing her cheek gently as it passed. Kit sucked in a breath as it happened and I quickly retracted my hand, thinking I had done something wrong.

"I… uh… you should probably go into the house. Your dad is probably wondering where you are." I said, clearing my throat. I didn't mean to tell Kit what to do, but I was not sure how to handle the situation.

"Right… are you coming?" she asked me.

"I should probably sweep this all back up again…" I said in explanation.

"Okay… well… goodnight Steve. Thanks, again." Kit replied. She stood there for a moment as an awkward silence fell over the both of us. After a moment, she turned around and left the barn, leaving me alone inside as I cleaned up the mess we had made.

**************3 MONTHS LATER*************

**KIT'S POV**

Time had flown by since Steve had first started helping us out at the ranch. It had only been three months and it already feels as if he had been a part of the family all of his life. My father loved having another hardworking man around the ranch who never complained about the work that was given to him and who did such good quality work. Today was Steve's birthday and we all had something planned for him though he didn't know we had plans.

Noon was nearing and I was finishing putting together a few sandwiches and glasses of water for the men who were busy at work. I grabbed the tray of food and walked out onto the porch. "Steve? Dad? I have your lunches." I called.

Steve was just off the front porch pulling weeds from our driveway. He wasn't wearing a shirt and I could see his sweat glistened muscles. He picked up his discarded shirt walking toward me while putting it back on.

"Thanks, Kit." He said as he picked up a sandwich off of the tray along with a glass of water and sat down on the porch steps.

"You're welcome" I replied as I sat down next to him and placed the tray behind me.

We sat in silence for a while until my brother, Hunter, walked through the gate. As he got closer I noticed he was trying to cover his eye from my view.

"Hunter Alan Bell, what happened to your eye!?" I asked him with concern, standing up to pull his chin up to where I could see his eye.

"It was nothing Kit. Just a small incident at school." He tried to convince me. Normally I would have questioned him further but, with Steve observing, I withheld from doing so.

"Let's get you inside and put some ice on it. Mom would be pissed if she got home and saw this." I said indicating his eye.

"Kit…" Hunter said with a groan as he pulled his face away from my hand but I ignored him.

"I'm sorry," I apologized to Steve as I turned to face him, "I will be right back out after I take care of this" I explained to him before turning toward the house after seeing his nod of understanding.

**STEVE'S POV**

I watched Kit go into the house before I let out a sigh. I needed to get a grip, I barely knew her and here I was falling for her. Her beauty was just so hard to resist. The way her brown eyes drew me in was so enchanting that they haunted me in my sleep. The power they held was so strong and irresistible.

It was then that Richard walked up to the porch from one of the fields.

"Happy birthday, Steve." he greeted me as he grabbed his sandwich and took a long drink from his glass of water.

"Thank you, sir" I responded with a polite nod.

"None of this 'sir' business, Steve. You've been here long enough to know that Richard is the name." he said with a chuckle.

"Sorry… Richard."

There was a silence but before it could get awkward, Kit returned from inside the house with her siblings in tow.

"Sorry it took…" but before she could finish Lizzy came bounding out in front of her.

"Happy birthday, Steve!" she exclaimed, bursting with energy and giving me a hug as I stood up.

"Thanks, Lizzy" I chuckled in response as she released me from her grip.

"Can I give him, my gift now, Kitty?" Elizabeth asked her older sister.

"Not until after you wash up" I heard the response from inside the house. Mrs. Bell continued by saying, "And that goes for all of you."

Everyone went inside to wash up and change out of work clothes. When Kit and I were done, we went back out onto the porch.

"Happy Birthday, Steve." she said softly as she turned toward me. Her bottom lip was caught between her teeth and took all of my self- control to not reach my hand out and stroke her cheek.

I don't know where all of these urges came from all of a sudden, but some of the thoughts that ran through my head were not very appropriate. I felt as if, even though I wasn't speaking them out loud, I was dishonoring Kit. But it was as if she didn't even know how attractive she was.

"Thanks, Kit" I said leaning forward settling on just giving her a hug. When she didn't pull back immediately, my heart began to race and I had no doubt that she could feel it.

"Steve, I… "She began, but before she could finish what she was going to say, her mother called her from the kitchen.

"Kit, come set the table" Caroline called.

"Yes, mom!" Kit responded. She gave me an apologetic look before turning and going back into the house. As she left, Hunter and Lizzy came back out onto the porch. The swelling on Hunter's eye had gone down a little bit, but I could see he was having trouble opening his eye fully.

"Here's my gift!" Lizzy exclaimed handing me a lumpy package.

"Thank you" I said as I took the package from her hands and began to undo the package to find a knitted… mess.

"It's a sweater." Hunter spoke quietly into my ear so only I could hear and I looked at him in disbelief.

"Thanks, Lizzy, I was in need of a… sweater. It's… wonderful." I thanked her, although I was unsure how to go about doing so without encouraging her to knit something else for me.

Lizzy giggled and then ran into the house.

I waited until I was sure the door was shut and she was out of earshot before I turned to Hunter.

"A sweater?" I asked, still in disbelief

"Yeah… she wouldn't stop talking about how she was making it for weeks" he said as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Listen, I know it is kind of out of my place to ask but… would you ever go out one evening with my sister?"

"Why would I do that?" I grew very defensive at his mentioning of Kit. When I realized how rude I had sounded, I went back and corrected myself, "I meant, why do you ask?"

"Oh please, you think you're hiding how you feel about Kit? You two have become rather close, have you not?"

"It's not what you think." I began to take defense, "we're friends."

"She's sweet isn't she?"

"Definitely sweet."

"Kind…"

"Caring…" I began to daze

"Beautiful…" Hunter was trying to coax my admission of my feeling for Kit out and he was doing a good job of it. Of course, I didn't notice this until it was too late.

"Unbelievably so…" that's when I caught myself, "wait a second…"

"I knew it." Hunter said with a smug look on his face.

"Well, I'm not blind. Anybody can see that your sister is beautiful." I responded trying to defend myself.

"But you aren't falling for her?" Hunter kept pushing.

"No, I can't be, and even if I was, it wouldn't be right."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm your guest, Hunter. I'm hired help around here. I can't risk any romantic entanglements... especially if SHIELD… never mind." I stopped myself before I revealed too much.

"Just give her a chance, Steve." He responded, seemingly oblivious to my slip up.

Before I could respond back, Kit walked back onto the porch. Hunter gave me a look and then walked inside, leaving Kit and I on the porch.

"What's up, Steve?" Kit asked, probably noticing that my cheeks had reddened.

"Nothing." I responded.

"If you say so." Kit said as she placed a gift box in my hand. "I didn't know what to get you… so I hope you like this."

I unwrapped the gift and pulled out the most attractive leather jacket I had ever seen.

"Kit," I began but I couldn't find the words to describe what the jacket meant to me "thank you… it's wonderful." Is all that I could manage to get out as I pulled her into a hug after setting the box down.

"Well try it on." She said as she pulled away from the hug.

I pulled the jacket out of the box and then put it on. It felt very light and moved easily, as if it were a second skin.

"It fits beautifully." Kit observed and I could see the sparkle of happiness in her brown eyes.

It was in this moment that I decided I was going to man up and do what I had been dying to do for weeks now. I was going to ask Kit on a date. I took a deep breath to steady myself.

"Hey… Kit?"

"Yes, Steve?"

"I …er… well you see… I… er… I was wondering if maybe you would… you know… like to go someplace with me after dinner… just you and me?" I slowly got out like a bumbling fool.

"You mean like a date?"

"Uhm… yeah…" I said, worried her answer would be no.

"Of course, Steve, I would love too." She said as her face lit up and the most beautiful smile graced her face.


End file.
